Softball

Lady 'Runners Blast Past Trinity Valley CC

Angelina College’s Emilee Cernosek follows through on her second homer of Wednesday’s doubleheader against Trinity Valley Community College.

Mar 21, 2018

By GARY STALLARD

AC Athletics

The Angelina College softball team opened its offensive attack with a homer – and they finished the day with one as well.

Lady Roadrunner Kiriany Hornberger led off the bottom of the first inning in the opener with a majestic blast over the centerfield wall. Brette Kohring finished off the nightcap with a three-run, walk-off shot. In between, the Lady 'Runners combined for 25 runs on six homers in sweeping Trinity Valley Community College 16-4 and 9-0 at Roadrunner Complex in Lufkin.

Emilee Cernosek homered in each game, launching a two-run shot two batters after Hornberger's leadoff homer in the opener. In that first inning, the Lady Roadrunners sent 13 batters to the plate to build a 7-0 lead following their first at-bat.

The Lady Cardinals' Brianna Kinnard lifted a two-run homer over the left field wall in the second inning, but AC's bats were just warming up. Rachel Agnello homered in the bottom of the second for an 8-3 AC lead, and Sydney Brown added a three-run job in the third. In the fourth, Agnello added a two-run single to go with Megan Kirchhoff's two-run single.

Pitcher Shelby Mixon won her 10th game of the season, which is second-best in the Region XIV East Zone.

In the nightcap, Cernosek bopped her second homer of the day, a two-run opposite-field job in the first inning. Cernosek drove in another run with a single in the third for a 3-0 AC lead, and Nikki Whitehead added an RBI single in the fourth. In the bottom of the sixth, with AC leading 4-0, the Lady 'Runners closed out the mercy-rule win with RBI from Agnello and Sydney Brown, followed by Kohring's walk-off, three-run homer over the left-center wall.

AC pitcher Leigh Luker extended her shutout streak to four straight games, dropping her ERA to the sub-2.00 level.

The Lady Roadrunners (17-8, 5-3) travel to Kilgore on Saturday. That doubleheader starts at 1 p.m. AC returns home on Wednesday, March 28 against Parish College. Game time for the opener of the twin bill is 3 p.m. at Roadrunner Complex.